These Unexpected Texas Rangers Starters Predicted to Have Breakout Seasons

Will some talented young pitchers for the Texas Rangers have breakout seasons?

Sep 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers are heading into the new campaign after a good offseason with the hopes of bouncing back in 2025. 

After battling injuries for much of last year, the team is in much better shape coming into the new year. 

The starting rotation felt a lot of pressure last season with players out, but the unit is looking healthy and strong as of now. 

One of the most notable reasons why was the return of Jacob deGrom at the end of last year. The former Cy Young was able to come back and make a few starts, giving him a full offseason to prepare and get strong for the upcoming campaign. 

Even though he hasn’t been able to stay healthy in recent years, the hope is that a full offseason will change that in 2025. 

After being short on quality starters last season, Texas has a plethora of them now, which is a welcome sight. Currently, the projected starting rotation includes deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, Jon Gray, and Cody Bradford. 

While that is an impressive-looking group if they can stay healthy, there are a couple of more young arms that will be looking to force their way into the rotation as well. 

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com recently spoke about a couple of players who are set to have breakout campaign’s for the team in 2025.

“Both are on the 40-man roster, and trending up -- Rocker with a breakout 2024 and Leiter with a hot start to spring training. They are reaching their long-held (but not always accurate at the time) hype with more casual fans.”

Both Rocker and Leiter are two of the top pitching prospects in Texas’ system, and they likely won’t want to be pitching much in the minors this coming season. 

Like deGrom, Rocker was coming off surgery last year, but did get his first cup of tea in the Majors at the end of the season. The young right-hander has electric stuff and is one of the best prospects in baseball. 

For Leiter, there have been a lot of ups and downs so far to start his career, but the young right-hander is still just 24 years old. 

While the results in the minors haven’t always been great, Leiter might be finding his groove this spring. In eight innings, he has allowed just one run and has struck out eight batters. 

There have been high expectations for both of the talented prospects from the organization and this feels like the year that it is time to prove what they can do. 

However, there isn’t currently a spot in the five-man rotation, but with deGrom and Mahle coming back from injuries, being mindful of their innings and potentially using six starters makes sense. 

If the two pitchers get the opportunity, they are both poised for their breakout seasons.